Drunk Stoughton man crashed, then began to walk home, say police

Police say the driver was found more than a half-mile away from the crash scene.

Cody Shepard The Enterprise @cshepard_ENT

STOUGHTON – A man who crashed into deep brush, causing heavy damage to his vehicle early Friday morning, walked more than a half-mile from the scene toward his home, police said.

Officers responded to the area of 542 School St. about 12:35 a.m. after receiving calls reporting a single-vehicle crash.

“When Officer (Bryan) Mokrisky arrived, he saw a motor vehicle extremely damaged off the roadway in a large amount of brush,” said police Lt. John Bonney.

When the officer arrived at the scene, the driver was not in the vehicle and wasn’t seen in the immediate area. He then learned from area residents that the driver walked away from the scene. The vehicle, a Nissan Maxima, was registered to a Taunton resident.

“They found evidence inside the vehicle to indicate that someone in it could have been named Ryan McChowel,” Bonney said.

Officers began searching the area and went toward Rockland Street, where McChowel lives, when they found him walking in the area of School and Clapp streets, which is over a half-mile away from the crash scene.

Police say they noticed fresh minor injuries to McChowel’s head. He told police he was inside the car, but not driving, with two other men.

“Through the investigation, officers determined he was the sole occupant in the vehicle,” Bonney said.

McChowel, 25, of Stoughton, was arrested and charged with drunken driving, leaving the scene of a crash causing property damage and driving with a suspended license.